An exhibition by Isabella Ong
Curated by Seet Yun Teng
4 to 28 Apr 2024
Objectifs Lower Gallery 1
Opening: Thu 4 Apr 2024, 7pm – 9pm
Free admission
Exhibition programmes:
Artist Talk: Isabella Ong with Seet Yun Teng (RSVP here)
Sat 6 Apr 2024, 2pm – 3pm
Objectifs Workshop Space
Workshop: Worldly matter and stars: making chemigrams with Ng Hui Hsien (Please register here)
Sat, 13 Apr 2024, 5pm – 7pm
Fee: $60 (General admission) / $40 (Concession fee)
Objectifs Workshop Space
Star Dreaming: Same Stars, Different Stories (Please register here)
Fri 19 Apr 2024, 6.30pm – 10pm
Omni-Theatre, Science Centre, 15 Science Centre Rd, Singapore 609081
The planetary issue of outer space debris is one that, while distant from public consciousness, is emerging to be an urgent environmental concern. Dead satellites, spent rocket stages, and fragments from collisions circle the Earth in rings of debris, where even the smallest paint chip, travelling at astonishing speeds in zero-gravity, bears destructive capabilities. Humanity has always looked to the night sky to make sense of the universe we live in. We observe patterns in its complex tapestry, imagine fantastical characters, and tell stories to guide us through time. How do we, then, see and relate to a sky in which today, a dense, orbiting web of manmade machines overlaps our vision of the cosmos?
Lucy in the Sky with Debris takes this, among other intersecting threads, as a starting point. A research and visual art project merging astronomy, cartography, mythology, and material culture, it aims to generate a layered reframing of the space debris issue, exploring alternative ways to visualise and communicate the environmental problem that parallels the ecological crises on Earth. It presents Errant Stars, a kinetic installation, and a display of research materials. This showcase marks the culmination of a 18-month research and artistic development process that serves as the first phase of a multi-year project.
Isabella Ong is an artist based in Singapore, whose practice examines the complex and fraught relationship we have with our environment. She works across the fields of art, computation, electronics and research, combining computational techniques with the physical investigation of materials like volcanic sand and debris. Drawing from a range of ecological sciences, she collaborates with scientists and experts to communicate their research to a broader audience.
Seet Yun Teng is a curator, arts producer and writer. A keen alignment to the material world and embodied practices of making underlies her approach. She works closely and collaboratively with artists to develop long-term, research-based projects, ranging from the visibility of space debris to tropical technologies. With an interest in alternative formats of exhibition-making and interdisciplinary collaborations, she has worked curatorially and produced across a range of exhibitions, events and platforms.